A portable computing device can include many components that provide operational functionality for users of the device. A typical portable computing device can include a processor, one or more fans, speakers, batteries and the like. The sizes of portable computing devices are continually shrinking in response to the user's desire for smaller, lighter devices. As a result, internal components of the portable computing device and mounting systems for those components are also becoming smaller.
One method for mounting components within a portable computing device includes the use of double-sided adhesive tape. However, this method can make removing the component difficult and time consuming and can leave behind adhesive residue that must be cleaned before reinstalling the component. These problems can minimized by using an adhesive tape with a highly extensible backing designed to release from a substrate when the tape is stretched in a direction approximately equal to the surface of the adhesive tape. For example, Command™ adhesives produced by 3M™ and Powerstrip™ adhesives produced by Tesa™ have these properties. However, removing these adhesive tapes can require sufficient clearance to pull the adhesive backing in a direction approximately equal to the surface of the tape. Often, components in portable computing devices can be mounted in cavities with adhesive tape bonding the component to a bottom surface. This can require the adhesive to be pulled at an angle approximately normal to the surface of the tape, causing the tape to break.